Salmon With Lemon Cream Sauce (Printable)

Golden pan-seared salmon with rich, zesty lemon cream sauce. An elegant yet simple dish perfect for any night.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Seafood

01 - 4 skinless salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each

→ Lemon Cream Sauce

02 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 cup heavy cream
05 - Zest of 1 lemon
06 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
07 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
08 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Other

10 - 1 tablespoon olive oil, for searing

# How To Make It:

01 - Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the salmon fillets and sear for 4 to 5 minutes per side until golden and cooked to your desired doneness. Transfer the fillets to a plate and keep warm.
03 - Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the same skillet. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to let it brown.
04 - Pour in the heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the lemon zest, fresh lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Continue simmering for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce slightly thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
05 - Stir in the chopped parsley and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
06 - Return the salmon fillets to the skillet and spoon the sauce generously over the top. Simmer together for 2 to 3 minutes so the flavors meld. Serve immediately, garnished with extra parsley or lemon slices if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The lemon cream sauce comes together in the same pan, so you get maximum flavor with almost no extra dishes.
  • It tastes like something you would order at a nice restaurant, but it honestly takes about thirty minutes from fridge to plate.
02 -
  • If the cream boils too aggressively it can break, so keep the heat at a gentle simmer and stir often.
  • Overcooked salmon turns dry and chalky, so pull it from the pan when it still has a slight translucence in the center because it will finish cooking in the sauce.
03 -
  • Drying the salmon thoroughly before it hits the pan is the single most important step for getting that gorgeous golden crust instead of a steamed mess.
  • Use a microplane to zest the lemon directly into the sauce so the essential oils do not get lost on a cutting board.

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